Tagged with “book:author=china mieville”
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China Miéville is probably the best new writer in the ‘new weird’ genre. Hes got a seriously prolific output and he manages to push the limits of fantasy, science fiction and horror to a very appreciative younger audience.

Hes pulled together a whole bunch of skills: fantasy/science fiction writer; would be politician - he ran on the Socialist Alliance ticket for the UK general election in 2001 - and he did his Phd on Marxism and International Law at the London School of Economics. He also draws and writes comics.

He could only be British.

This conversation covers high surrealism, pulp modernism, H.P. Lovecraft, the Call of Cthulhu and a love of garbage, octopuses and trains.

If you dont read his books, your teenage children probably do…and love him.

China is generous with questions from the audience  as he should be, they buy his books, but not every writer is; and he seriously addresses the basic structuring of his books in answer to a keen young fan. If you follow him on various blogs, youll notice that he seems very connected to his audience.

Writer James Bradley is in conversation with him at the Perth Writers Festival, and they begin talking about his latest book, Railsea.

For the Ariekei, who live on a distant planet in China Miéville’s latest novel Embassytown, speech is thought: “Without language for things that didn’t exist, they could hardly think them.”

In Miéville’s Ariekei language, there is no room for metaphor, no space between the thing – or the idea – and the word. As a result, the Ariekei have no concept of lying. Language is truth, rather than merely standing in for it. Quite the opposite of any human language.

Andrew Marr talks to the science fiction writer China Mieville, whose latest planetary creation explores the links between language and thought, and asks what it means to have no concept of lying. A N Wilson explores a world closer to home, but no less alien, medieval Florence, as he tries to uncover the life and work of Dante. Jonathan Bate’s play, Being Shakespeare, also attempts to bring to life the work of the Bard and the real man behind the legend, by placing him in his historical context. And the prize-winning poet Jo Shapcott argues for the transformative nature of poetry.

Start The Week sets the cultural agenda for the week ahead, with high-profile guests discussing the ideas behind their work in the fields of art, literature, film, science, history, society and politics.

We have always allowed our imaginations to create other worlds as expressions of our wildest dreams, hopes and fears. The story and present state of our speculations are explored by Erik Davis, China Miéville, Adam Roberts and Tricia Sullivan. Chair, Sam Leith.

Climb in your Zeppelin, grab a self-burning book, and prepare for the first Incomparable Podcast, in which we discuss "The City and The City," "The Windup Girl," "For The Win," and more. Plus we mispronounce the names of writers.